Cherry drops the gloves on Colin Campbell

Last week NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell raised the question about whether fighting belongs in the NHL anymore. As this article from the Canadian Press shows, the entire issue generated a great deal of comment across the NHL.

But none as hard hitting as Don Cherry on last Saturday's "Coach's Corner" on CBC. When host Ron MacLean tried to interject during Cherry's tirade about what message parents should be giving to youngsters playing hockey, Cherry snapped back, "The NFL doesn't worry about kids. Baseball doesn't worry about throwing at a guy's head."

The funniest part of the segment was a vintage clip from 1991, of a very young Ron MacLean and Cherry at the zamboni entrance at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles. Cherry was wearing his Hollywood shades, an earring dangling from his left ear, and in total Peter Pan mode was wisping and lisping his way about how hockey should be just one happy lovefest. "Hockey without violence is like a silver ballet", Cherry mimicked as he waved his imaginary wand.

Great stuff. No wonder all of Canada stops dead in its tracks at 7:45PM each Saturday to tune in CBC. Here in Buffalo we do likewise.


While Buffalo's Adam Mair and Ottawa's Jason Spezza were flailing away at each other in the big brawl on February 22, Tom Preissing and Brian Campbell look on in an almost tender embrace. Cherry has shown this clip twice and has heaped his ridicule on the two both times.